Fran Wendelboe, a former state GOP legislator-turned-Republican consultant, is also the president of the Belknap County 4-H Fair. She’s the one political organizers need to call if they’re thinking of having a candidate make an appearance there, or if they want to rent space for a political booth.

And on Tuesday, one of Perry strategist Dave Carney’s lieutenants at his firm, Norway Hill Associates, phoned Wendelboe in search of some details for setting up a booth for a possible campaign.

“I was contacted yesterday by someone who was inquiring about rental space for a political event,” she said. “It was one of Perry’s people.”

Wendelboe suggested that because her event is much smaller (there are a number of county fairs sprinkled at different times throughout the state where politicians can get some visibility with just a few Granite Staters), Perry’s team’s interest is a sign that he has moved beyond the 50/50 stage of deciding whether to run.